Educational effects using a robot patient simulation system for development of clinical attitude.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of improving the attitude of dental students towards the use of a full-body patient simulation system (SIMROID) compared to the traditional mannequin (CLINSIM) for dental clinical education. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The participants were 10 male undergraduate dental students who had finished clinical training in the university hospital 1 year before this study started. They performed a crown preparation on an upper pre-molar tooth using SIMROID and CLINSIM as the practical clinical trials. The elapsed time for preparation was recorded. The taper of the abutment teeth was measured using a 3-dimensional shape-measuring device after this trial. In addition, a self-reported questionnaire was collected that included physical pain, treatment safety and maintaining a clean area for each simulator. Qualitative data analysis of a free format report about SIMROID was performed using text mining analysis. This trial was performed twice at 1-month intervals. RESULTS: The students considered physical pain, treatment safety and a clean area for SIMROID significantly better than that for CLINSIM (P < .01). The elapsed time of preparation in the second practical clinical trial was significantly lower than in the first for SIMROID and CLINSIM (P < .01). However, there were no significant differences between the abutment tapers for both systems. For the text mining analysis, most of the students wrote that SIMROID was similar to real patients. CONCLUSION: The use of SIMROID was proven to be effective in improving the attitude of students towards patients, thereby giving importance to considerations for actual patients during dental treatment.

Effectiveness of a simulated patient training programme based on trainee response accuracy and appropriateness of feedback.

INTRODUCTION: Simulated patients (SPs) need education and training in required skills to be effective resources in education. This study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of an SP training programme based on the accuracy of trainee responses and the appropriateness of their feedback. METHODS: Thirty-two applicants to the training programme and 35 experienced SPs were included in this study. The experienced SPs served as a reference group. The rate of accurate responses and the rate of appropriate feedback were assessed with pre- and post-training tests, and these two outcome measures were compared with those of the experienced SPs. RESULTS: No significant differences were found in trainee response accuracy or appropriateness of feedback between pre- and post-training tests. The response accuracy rate of the trainees on the pre-training test was significantly lower than that of SPs with 1-2 years of experience, whilst there was no significant difference between these SPs and the trainees on the post-training test. CONCLUSIONS: Although our study suggests that more training is needed to improve the skills of SPs, the training programme may contribute to helping trainees reach a novice level in the skill of providing accurate responses. SP training should be encouraged to contribute to the effectiveness of such teaching and to establish the validity of the assessment.